HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Coker athletic department held the fourth-annual FANG Awards on Wednesday (May 2) evening to honor the athletic achievements of the Cobras during the 2017-18 season. Headlining the night were men's volleyball player Joao Victor Santos and women's cross country/track & field runner Darroneshia Lott, winners of the C.G. Timberlake Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards.
Joao Victor Santos played in all 23 matches and 92 sets for the men's volleyball team. He finished the season with 360 kills, 48 service aces, 127 digs, and 69 total blocks. Santos moved up the Coker ranks on many different categories. He set the kills in a match record with 32, good for second nationally in a five-set match, kills per set season leader with 3.91, enough for eighth in the nation. Santos ranks third all-time at Coker with 833 kills, second with 96 career aces, seventh with 296 digs, tied fourth in all-time solo blocks with 36, and fifth with 108 block assists.
His .522 ace per set ratio ranked sixth nationally and 4.9 points per set put him fourth in the nation. With Santos' help, the team created the new Coker record of kills per set with 11.2. Throughout the season, he racked up many national awards for his performances. Santos was named to the 2018 Bryan Ivie Award Watch List for the nation's best opposite, a two-time Off the Block Defensive Player of the Night, two-time Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Week, Off the Block Independent Teams Player of the Year, a spot on the Off the Block All-Independent Teams, and named to the IVA All-Tournament team.
Santos is the son of Nubia Oliveria and Joao Santos.
Darroneshia Lott is the first cross country All-American in school history. A five-time SPC Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Month and two-time South Atlantic Conference AstroTurf Track Athlete of the Week, Lott qualified for both Division II Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships, as well as the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships this season. In the fall, she placed second at the SAC Cross Country Championships and third at the NCAA Southeast Regional to earn a NCAA Championship berth in which she placed 38th in the country. Lott was also named to the SAC outdoor track preseason watch list, the All-Region Team for the indoor season, and earned All-American honors in the 800-meter in both the outdoor (2017) and indoor (2018) seasons.
Lott holds multiple Coker records in all three of her sports. In cross country, she has six of the top seven 5k times and the top five 6K times. In the indoor track records, Lott holds the top six time in the 800-meter, the top mile time, and is a member of the top three times in the 4x400-meter relay. In the outdoor records, she ranks in the top spot in the 400-meter, the top six in the 800-meter, the top mile time, the first four times in the 1500-meter, and is a leg of three of the top four times in the 4x400-meter relay.
She is the daughter of Michele and Darron Lott.
In addition to the C.G. Timberlake Athlete of the Year awards, Coker awarded 11 other FANGS. They are as follows:
SAAC Team Excellence Award – Spirit Squad
Cobra Service Award – Madison Bingle, Women's Volleyball
Cobra Scholar Award – Nathan Lemke, Men's Basketball
Team GPA Award – Men's Tennis
Female Breakthrough Player of the Year – Christine Carver, Softball
Male Breakthrough Player of the Year - Gary Baker, Men's Volleyball
Coach of the Year – Travis McCall, Softball
Heart & Soul Award – Sydney Shull, Women's Basketball
Female Newcomer of the Year – Janea Williams, Women's Basketball
Male Newcomer of the Year – Khalil Halls, Men's Basketball
Game of the Year – Softball 3-2 victory over No. 2 North Georgia, March. 4, 2018